The Community-Wide Collaboration Beer “Court Shoes Only” Returns For A Third Season

Community-wide Collaboration Beer to release September 15th

September 14, 2023

Richard Groves,

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Court Shoes Only artwork and label by Mitchell Phillips Design.
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Wooden Robot Brewery is a three-time Court Shoes Only participant. Head brewer and co-founder, Dan Wade, pictured. Photo by Tom Henderson.
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First-time Court Shoes Only participant Firehawk Brewpub in Mount Holly, NC joins the initiative. Head brewer Matthew Young pictured. Photo by Tom Henderson.
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Devil’s Logic Brewing hosted a collaboration brew day with Divine Barrel Brewing, resulting in a classic west coast style IPA. Photo by Tom Henderson.
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100% of scholarship requests have been filled at the program locations Court Shoes Only has supported. Our thanks to the generosity of all the brewery participants, sponsors and the growing base of Court Shoes Only fans! Photo by Eric Gaddy.

Court Shoes Only, the community-wide beer collaboration launched in 2021, will enter its third season on September 15th. Variants from across North Carolina and South Carolina will be released over the course of September and October, with proceeds benefiting ACEing Autism. Hoppy is the 2023 beer’s theme, providing brewery participants an unparalleled opportunity to put their own spin on the concept, leading to a diverse array of interpretations to excite craft beer drinkers throughout the Carolinas.

“The craft beer industry has always held two values in high esteem: creativity and community”, explained Court Shoes Only co-founder Aaron MJ Gore. “Nils and I wanted to play into each brewery’s strength and keep the beer style broad while tapping into their passion to contribute to an important program in their community. Court Shoes Only is that opportunity. It’s about the brewer’s commitment to making delicious beer and to help support a fantastic cause, which is something we can all get behind,” Gore explained.

Taproom visitors seeking Court Shoes Only variants will also be able to take home a limited-edition commemorative glass on a first come, first serve basis, complements of Deacon Foodservice. Additionally, a special Untappd badge will be activated on September 15th and earned by those checking-in variants on the app. Over the course of three years, thousands of Untappd users have checked into a Court Shoes Only beer, generating further awareness of ACEing Autism programs. The September 15th release date is significant as it commemorates the anniversary of 15 successful years ACEing Autism has connected kids through tennis.

“The impact brewery participants are generating through Court Shoes Only is incredible on so many levels,” ACEing Autism Regional Program Director Nils Weldy said. “More families are finding out about our programs, more volunteers are getting involved and the sense of community the breweries are fostering becomes stronger and stronger,” continued Weldy.

A full list of brewery participants, impact stats and information about ACEing Autism can be found by visiting courtshoesonly.beer. A comprehensive guide of Court Shoes Only variants will be posted on the website too.

About Court Shoes Only:

Court Shoes Only is a community-wide beer initiative supporting ACEing Autism. Launched in 2021, the goal of the beer initiative is to bring beverage-makers from across the Carolinas together to create unique, interesting and especially meaningful beers, while raising awareness, accessibility and affordability of ACEing Autism programming. With more than 70 brewery participants over its three-year span, the initiative continues to expand, empowering craft beer enthusiasts to support local businesses and a valuable community program. Learn more at courtshoesonly.beer.

About ACEing Autism:

ACEing Autism was founded in Boston in 2008 by Richard Spurling, a tennis professional with an MBA in entrepreneurship, and Dr. Shafali Jeste, a pediatric neurologist practicing at Children’s Hospital Boston at the time. They saw an opportunity to help address the lack of quality recreational programs available to children with autism by combining their professional expertise and personal commitment. To date, ACEing Autism has provided more than 5,800 hours of tennis programming to children with autism behind a force of over 2,500 volunteers across more than 130 program locations nationwide. For more information, please visit: aceingautism.org.